


Cuffed

by TiffanyF



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: AU, M/M, OOC, dub-com
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-04-12 11:29:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4477604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiffanyF/pseuds/TiffanyF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where some people have "hot spots" on their bodies that trigger an event called a "sub-drop". It's pretty much what it sounds like and only time, care, and gentleness can get people back from the drop state. Reid indirectly finds out that Rossi has a hot spot one night when the team is away from home. Rossi doesn't believe him, no matter what Reid tells him. </p>
<p>Do not own, do not claim, no money made here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've made this an AU because I know nothing about D/s culture and I don't want to disrespect them by butchering it in a story. 
> 
> Also, Rossi is being a stubborn jerk and won't let me keep going with the story right now, so I don't know when I'll be getting back to this one. I'm just stalled on all my WIPs right now (I've been sick for like three weeks now) and figured I'd go ahead and post this.

Spencer Reid wasn’t even sure what it was they were arguing about. David Rossi had come back to the room they were sharing in up-state New York on a case trying to catch a serial arsonist, and started nagging at Reid. It wasn’t normal behavior, and Reid was trying to defuse the situation, but had a feeling every mild or bland reply he made only caused Rossi to get angrier with him. Reid finally stood up, planning to shower and go to bed, and only his recent self-defense classes with Morgan let him catch the fist as it came at his head. He quickly grabbed Rossi’s left wrist as well, holding both of them tightly, expecting the older man to fight. To swear at him. To do anything but shut down.

He watched Rossi’s eyes sag shut and the tension drained out of his body so quickly that Reid’s first thought was that Rossi had finally had a stroke and he would need to call for an ambulance when he realized that Rossi was also suddenly aroused. The dots connected and Reid reacted. “Rossi, look at me,” he said, making his voice firm. The eyes rose up to meet his and he smiled. “Good. Do you know what’s happening to you?”

“No,” Rossi said, voice sounding slurred.

“Shit,” Reid said. He released Rossi’s wrists and pulled the other man in against him. “You did just right, Dave. You did fine,” he said, running his fingers through Rossi’s hair. “So good for me. Come on, let’s sit down on the bed. Get you comfortable.”

Reid moved the pair over to his bed and sat down, pulling Rossi along with him. “Come on now, come lie up against me here,” he said softly. “There you go, just relax, Dave. You’re so good. Just rest and I’ll answer any questions you have.”

“What just happened to me?” Rossi asked, still sounding dazed and very, very confused.

“I think when I attempted to stop you punching me, I inadvertently caused a sub-drop,” Reid said. “Have you ever played around with domination in any form, Dave?”

“Stop using such big words,” Rossi said, closing his eyes.

“Sorry. Have you ever let anyone tie you up before?”

“Of course not.”

“Did you know that your wrists are a hot spot for you?”

“What are you talking about?”

Reid started petting Rossi again. “Hush. I’m upsetting you and I shouldn’t be,” he said. “I’m sorry, Dave. Just relax against me and I’ll take care of you. We can stay here as long as you need to.”

“You’re warm,” Rossi said, cuddling closer.

“Not usually,” Reid said with a smile. “Go to sleep, Dave. I’ll be right here when you wake up and we can talk then.”


	2. Chapter 2

Rossi woke up and realized two things; he was not under the blankets and he wasn’t alone in the bed. There was a warm arm resting over his side and a large hand pressing against his stomach. He was still fully dressed and, he checked, still had his shoes on. What worried him the most was that he had no idea how he’d ended up in bed the night before. He wasn’t even sure who it was in bed with him. There were no soft angles up against him, so he didn’t think it was a woman, but Rossi had no reason he could think of that he would be in bed with a man.

“Dave?”

He knew that voice and jerked forward, almost falling off the bed in his haste to get away from the young man in bed with him. “What the hell are you doing, Reid?” he demanded.

Spencer Reid sat up and rubbed his eyes. “You don’t remember last night, do you,” he said, and it wasn’t a question.

At least the kid was still dressed too, even if that was almost weirder than waking up in bed together. “No, I don’t remember last night,” he said. “What is it about last night I’m supposed to be remembering?”

“I inadvertently caused a sub-drop in you last night,” Reid said. He climbed out of the bed and went towards his go-bag to get a change of clothes. Normally he would have tried to touch his partner, especially after a drop like Rossi had the night before, but Reid could read the vibes coming off of Rossi’s body and touch was the last thing he wanted just then.

“A mild what?” Rossi asked.

“How much do you know about hot spots, sexual domination, and what it means to have a hot spot on your body?” Reid asked in reply.

Rossi started sputtering for a minute. “Reid, cut the crap and just tell me what the hell happened last night,” he said.

“You returned to the room irate and, I suspect, slightly intoxicated,” Reid said. “You began to verbally attack me, which is outside the norm for you, and when I went to leave the situation in an attempt to allow you to calm down, you tried to punch me.”

“I what?”

“You didn’t make contact. I stopped you,” Reid said. “When I grabbed your wrists, you went into a sudden drop. I asked you, once I realized the issue, if you knew your wrists were a hot spot for you, and you said no. You also told me that you’ve never allowed anyone to tie you up before. I’ve had some training in this area and began to care for you immediately once I realized what happened to you. I guess I fell asleep once your heart rate was back to normal and you were out of danger.”

“Okay, Reid, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but I’ll tell you right now that there’s no way in hell that I’m a sexual submissive or have any sort of hot spots on my body,” Rossi snapped.

“I think it’s more likely you overcompensate for the feelings without conscious awareness that you are doing so,” Reid said. “You are one of the three most alpha males I believe I’ve ever known, possibly topping that list. I’m willing to drop this if you’ll promise me that you’ll do some research into this and be aware of yourself so no one is able to restrain you by your wrists. If you go into a drop without someone there that can care for you, it will mess with your mind, Rossi. It’s also possible, given how quickly you became aroused after I had your wrists in my hands, that if the person restraining you is unethical, they could well rape you.”

Rossi started sputtering again. Reid sighed. “I’ll ask Hotch if he’ll switch with me tonight,” he said. “Just promise me that you’ll do the research, Dave. You really could be in trouble and I don’t want you to get hurt.”


	3. Chapter 3

He didn’t think Reid would actually go to their boss and ask to trade rooms for the remainder of their assignment, but staring across the room at Hotch, who was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, Rossi knew that he was in trouble.

“Dave, I’ve worked with Spencer for nine years and in that time, no matter how troubled he was by room assignments, cases, people, or comments, I have never once had him ask to change rooms,” Hotch said. “So I would like you to tell me what the hell happened last night to make him come to me and ask to room with Morgan instead of you.”

“He didn’t tell you?” Rossi asked, trying to buy time.

“No, he didn’t tell me anything,” Hotch replied. “The only thing he would do is repeat his request in a normal tone. So normal, in fact, that were he a suspect or a victim, I would be contacting the counselors because there is no way in hell that anything said in that tone can be trusted to be truth.”

“Would you believe that I have no idea what made him come to talk to you?”

Hotch leveled a look at him that wasn’t different from those he questioned in interrogation rooms. Rossi always thought of it as a look that said _I am not stupid, nor I am I fooled by your attempts to fool me. The minute you start to be smart and talk to me about what I want to know, the easier my questions will become._ The look usually made everyone but the most hardened criminals crack within half an hour. Rossi didn’t want to think about what people that faced Hotch in court thought of that look. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “He told me I’m a sexual submissive.”

“Dave, do you honestly expect me to believe that Spencer Reid, out of nowhere, told you that you’re a sexual submissive?” Hotch asked. He held up a hand, “don’t answer that. You do know that if you told me the whole story in order this would easier than me treating this like a prison interview, right?”

“I don’t remember what happened,” Rossi replied. He sat down on his bed. “That’s the honest to god truth, Aaron. I have no clue what happened to me last night, and it scares me more than I can put into words.”

Hotch sat down on the other bed and leaned forward. “What did Spencer tell you happened?” he asked softly.

“He said I came back to the room drunk and started yelling at him,” Rossi said. “I don’t know if it’s true or not, Aaron. I remember having a couple of drinks with dinner, but you know that wouldn’t have been enough to intoxicate me. Reid said that when he tried to leave the room, give me a chance to cool down, I swung at him.”

“Dave!”

“Just don’t, Hotch. I feel bad enough for even thinking I might try to hit Reid. The kid annoys the piss out of me most days, but I would never hit him,” Rossi said. “I think he’s growing on me. Anyway, he says I didn’t make contact, but when he grabbed my wrists, I went into something he called a sub-drop and became sexually aroused. He called it a hot spot, whatever the hell that actually means. I woke up with him in my bed, both of us fully clothed, including our shoes, and he had an arm around my waist. I guess I freaked out and he changed rooms to make me feel more comfortable. Kid thinks too much for others than he should.”

Hotch sighed. “Staring at the beginning of this whole thing, do you think you could have been drunk when you came back to the room last night?” he asked.

“No, of course not. I gave up drinking that much years ago,” Rossi replied. “I’ll drink to tipsy, but I’m too old to deal with hangovers. Especially out of town on a case. Last thing I want to do is try and work a serial killer, or worse, through a headache.”

“Do you have any underlying issues with Reid that you haven’t addressed?” Hotch asked. He paused and grinned. “Okay, stupid question. I forgot that you can’t keep your mouth shut when you have a problem with someone if we paid you.”

“I can keep quiet,” Rossi said.

“No you can’t, and I can site cases if you need me to,” Hotch said. “So why would you come back to the room and try to start a fight with Reid? Any ideas?”

“No, and I’ve been trying all day,” Rossi said. “Reid wouldn’t make something like this up, but honestly Aaron, I have no freaking clue what happened last night.”

“And he’s not talking about it,” Hotch said with a sigh. “Okay then, moving on. What do you think about his comments about your sexuality and the possibility that you did enter into a sub-drop?”

“I think it’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve heard since I’ve come back and, given the meetings I’ve had to sit through with Erin, that’s saying something,” Rossi said.

“Dave, do you know that Spencer spent a year studying sexual crimes among the sexual subcultures, including doms and their submissives as well as those that fall into the grouping of automatic drops when a hot spot is stimulated?”

“No, when did he do that?” Rossi asked, head snapping up. “Why don’t we have his research on it? That would be incredibly helpful for our profiles.”

Hotch smiled. “Last year, and he did it in what little free time he had from work, so no one else would know about it,” he said. “Spencer is still trying to get all of his notes and observations typed up. I’m looking forward to his presentation when it’s ready, but Dave, my point here is that it is possible he saw something that he related back to that.”

“Aaron, you’ve known me for how many years?”

“Too damn many, and I’ve got ulcers from most of them.”

“You’re hilarious. My point is that you know that I’m not a sexual submissive of any kind.”

“Fortunately I’ve never had to watch you in bed,” Hotch said.

Rossi snorted. “You pick the damndest times to develop a sense of humor,” he managed. “I’ll prove it to you. Grab my wrists and don’t let go no matter how hard I pull.”

“Dave, that’s not a good idea,” Hotch said. “If Spencer is right, you would go into a drop and I don’t know how to bring you back out of it.”

“I’m not going to go into a drop,” Rossi said. He held out his hands. “Come on, Aaron, just grab my wrists.”

“Let me get my cell phone,” Hotch said with a sigh. “I’m going on record as this being an officially bad idea, Dave, and I think that makes it close to eight thousand five hundred and sixty two.”

“You keep count?”

“That’s how many holes it feels like I have in my stomach from being your friend for so many years,” Hotch said. He grabbed his phone from his jacket pocket and moved back towards the beds. “Anything happens to you, I’m calling Spencer in here, and he gets the honor of telling you how stupid and stubborn you are when you’re back to yourself.”

“Fine, whatever, just grab me already,” Rossi said, holding out his arms.

Hotch sighed, but reached out and took his friend’s wrists in his hands. Rossi’s eyes went to half open and his whole body went lax, and only Hotch’s quick move kept Rossi off the floor. Biting back a few choice swearwords, Hotch let go of one wrist and grabbed for his cell. “Reid.”

“What’s wrong, Hotch?”

“I need you in my room now,” Hotch said. “It’s Dave.”

“What happened?” Reid asked. There was a noise as he moved, probably getting off the bed in his room. “What’s wrong?”

“Not over the phone, Reid. Do you have the spare key I left with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Use it. I’m not going to be able to answer the door,” Hotch said.

Reid sighed. “If it’s what I think it is, do not let go of him, Hotch,” he said. “Keep skin contact until I’m there.”

“I am. Hurry.”

“Almost there.” Reid hung up and Hotch let his phone fall to the floor so he could grab the free wrist again. He didn’t move when he heard the door open.

“Help him,” he said.

The younger man crossed the room and tilted Rossi’s face up towards him. “Keep a hold of him for another minute for me, Aaron,” he said. “We’re going to have to use soft tone and familiar names until he’s back with us.” He started to work Rossi’s shirt off. “He’s down farther than he went last night and I’m not sure when he’ll come back up.”

“What can I do?” Hotch asked.

“Slip his hands through the sleeves for me, so his shirt is gone,” Reid said, moving back to take his own shirts off. “And don’t question anything I do from this point out. Let me have him.”

Reid wrapped his arms around Rossi’s waist and moved them back onto Rossi’s bed. “Dave, can you hear me?” he asked softly.

“Wha?”

“Where are you, Dave?” Reid asked just as softly.

“Floating,” Rossi replied. “Hurts.”

“What hurts?” Reid asked.

“Pants.”

“Do you want your pants off, Dave?” Reid asked.

“Please.”

Reid leaned in to nose against Rossi’s neck. “Okay, Dave, I’ll take them off for you, but I need you to lean on me. Just like you are now,” he said. “Stay put.”

“Need some help?” Hotch asked.

“I’ve got him. The less outside touch he gets right now the better,” Reid said. “Think about when you’re sick and it feels like every touch against your body hurts. That’s about what he’s feeling right now.” He started to push Rossi’s jeans down, carefully freeing the erection that had been causing Rossi pain. “There we go, Dave. Kick those off your legs.”

Rossi moved around a little and got his jeans off. Reid nodded and pressed a soft kiss to Rossi’s neck. “Perfect, Dave,” he said softly. “You’re so perfect for me.”

“Still hurts.”

“What hurts, Dave?” Reid asked, carding his fingers through Rossi’s hair softly.

“Hurts,” Rossi said, thrusting against Reid’s hip.

“Aaron, how tightly did you grab him?” Reid asked softly.

“Not that hard,” Hotch replied just as softly.

Reid hummed. “We might have to look into this,” he said. “Dave, we’re going to move you. Stay still and let me do the work.”

Hotch watched as Reid moved Rossi onto his side facing the edge of the bed before lying down behind the older man. “Spencer, what are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m going to help him get rid of the pain so he can sleep,” Reid said. 

“I’m still not sure what pain he’s in,” Hotch said.

“He’s hard and, in this state, the arousal is registering as pain,” Reid said. He settled in against Rossi’s body. “I need him to climax. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

“It’s my fault he’s in this position,” Hotch said. “I’m staying.”

“Quiet then,” Reid said. He reached down into Rossi’s boxers and wrapped his hand around the older man’s erection. “Dave, is this what you want?”

“Please,” Rossi said.

“Of course,” Reid said, starting to move his hand slowly. “You’re my good boy, Dave. You’re so good, so perfect for me. Just relax and trust me to take care of you.”

Hotch watched the pair on the other bed, still not sure exactly how they got to where they were. He didn’t know how Rossi would feel about being touched by another man when they woke up in the morning, and didn’t think he wanted to be around for that argument. There were few things as incendiary as Dave Rossi truly pissed off about something.

He did have to admit that Reid certainly seemed to know what he was doing, but that wasn’t much of a surprise given how Reid threw himself completely into any project he undertook. Hotch could see tension in Rossi’s body, but at the same time, the man looked almost relaxed, which seemed an odd combination.

Rossi climaxed with a groan and rolled a little on the bed, eyes falling closed. Reid sighed. “I think he should sleep through the night now,” he said, shifting the older man into a better position. “I’m going to have to stay to monitor him for a while, Aaron.”

“That’s fine,” Hotch said. “Spencer, what are we going to do to help Dave understand that this is a real risk?”

“I don’t know, Aaron,” Reid said. He moved so his chest was touching part of Rossi’s back. “My concern is that an unsub could capture and restrain him, and possibly rape him before the team could arrive to save him.”

“I can keep him out of the field for a while, but he will start to push me on that,” Hotch said. “I don’t know what else we can do though, Spencer.”

“I can reach out to some of my friends back home,” Reid said. “But other than that, I have to admit that I’m at a loss.”

Hotch sighed. “Let’s sleep on it,” he said. “Maybe things will look better in the morning.”

“I doubt that,” Reid said. “If only because in the morning, Dave is going to wake up and find me in bed with him, and he’s going to want to know what happened to him.”

“Did you have to jerk him off like you did?” Hotch asked.

“I could have had him do it to himself, but this was faster,” Reid replied. “He needed the release, Aaron, because he was so far down in his head that he was only registering pain. Leaving him aroused would have caused him distress, and his heart rate is low right now. Panic or pain would have caused an increase and could have caused the heart to stop because of the conflicting signals from his brain.”

Hotch nodded. “I’m bowing to you as an expert on this, Spencer,” he said. “I don’t know what to do.”

“The most important thing is to not touch his wrists, no matter how much he pushes for it,” Reid said. “After that, I guess leave him to me and I’ll do my best to get him to understand how serious this is.”

“You know he’s going to fight you on this.”

“He already is. I’m not going to give up though.”

“Good.”


	4. Chapter 4

Rossi awoke with a groan. His whole body hurt, his head was throbbing and, unless he really missed his guess, his underwear was glued to his body bad enough that only a shower was going to get him out of them. “What the hell happened last night?” he muttered. "How much did I drink?"

“You were an idiot that didn’t listen to a word of advice given to you.”

“Reid?” Rossi asked. He rolled onto his back and squinted up at the form on the bed behind him. “Where’d you come from?”

“Hotch called me in a panic when you went under again, David,” Reid said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Because you were too self-absorbed to listen to what I had to tell you, to even think before you took action, Hotch was forced to watch you slip into a state that he has no experience handling. You were far enough down into your own head that I had my doubts that you would wake up as yourself this morning.”

“Do you have to shout?” Rossi managed, closing his eyes again.

Reid sighed. “I’m not shouting, David, but you’re probably in enough pain that’s how it sounds to you,” he said. “Come on, up. A hot shower will help you feel better.”

“Time is it?”

“Hotch put the two of us on-call today so I could deal with you,” Reid said, helping Rossi stand up. “I don’t know how to get through to you, David, that you need to be careful with your wrists.”

“I’m not sexually submissive,” Rossi managed.

“Perhaps not, but you do have a hot spot on your body that can put you at risk if you do not learn how to compensate for it,” Reid said. He put Rossi on the closed toilet while he worked on getting the water going. “I think it would do you some good to talk with a couple of friends of mine back in Virginia about what you’re going through.”

“I’m not going through anything,” Rossi said. “What are you doing?”

Reid dropped his pants on the counter and turned to Rossi. “You can’t even stand on your own, let alone balance,” he said. “I really don’t want to explain to anyone how you managed to break your head open in the shower, so I’m coming in with you.”

“I’m not gay either,” Rossi said.

“It seems to me that you really do protest too much,” Reid grumbled, helping Rossi into the shower.


	5. Chapter 5

It took Reid about a minute to realize that Rossi was not going to be able to remain standing for the shower, even if he propped him up against the wall, so he helped the older man sit down and changed it to a bath. "You're going to listen to me for a bit, David," he said as he soaped up a washcloth. "Then you can ask me questions if you want, but you are going to sit quietly and listen to me."

"Reid, I'm not submissive."

"I think your first problem is that you're misunderstanding the term as I used it," Reid said. "You are not a submissive as you know and understand the term, David. You never have been, and I doubt you ever will be because you are one of the most alpha males I believe I have ever met in my life. You are possibly one of the most dominate men I've ever met, but your basic biology has a few differences from what you expected it to."

"What do you mean?" Rossi let his head drop forward. He still hurt, and it actually felt good to have someone taking care of him while he wasn't feeling like himself. 

Reid paused only long enough to grab a glass from the sink to rinse Rossi off. "When you were developing in the womb, your central nervous system created some extra networks that house the ends within your wrists," Reid said. "Those nerve endings then remained dormant until you entered puberty and then they awoke and the network came online, but you still didn't know about it until you never let anyone grab your wrists."

"People have grabbed my wrists though."

"Lean your head back, Dave," Reid said. "Let me wash your hair for you. You need this touch and care to help you feel better."

Rossi sighed and leaned back. He didn't want to admit it, but he could feel the tension starting to go out of his body, and his head was starting to feel better as well. "My wrists, Spencer."

"I can only surmise that when people have grabbed you in the past, they either missed the area the nerves are in, or they didn't put enough pressure in place for the nerves to send the signals to the brain for you to go into the drop," Reid said. "I have fairly long fingers and grabbed you in such a way to be certain that you would not be able to get loose, and I was centered fairly centrally on your wrists."

"So that means it's not my wrists, but a certain area of my wrist that causes the problems," Rossi said. "So what about the rest of it?"

"Hotch is stronger than I am, and caused a deeper drop in you than I did. In that state, you because aroused to the point that you were in pain," Reid said. "You told me you wanted the release, but your consent is dubious at best. I didn't want you to hurt, Dave."

"Is there any way I can protect that part of my wrist so I don't have to worry about this?" Rossi asked.

"The best thing you can do is let me teach you about what this means, Dave," Reid replied. "When we get home, come with me to speak with some of the people I met when I was doing my research. I can answer the questions for you, but it will be an answer from a scientific perspective. They can answer from a point of view living with the hot spots. This is not something to be ashamed of, Dave. Just as those in a chosen submissive relationship has nothing to be ashamed of, no matter how mainstream society sees such relationships."

"I just don't know, Reid," Rossi said. 

Reid took one of Rossi's hands and held it up carefully. "Dave, underneath your skin just here are a band of nerves that exist only to send you into a sexually aroused state while making you submissive and pliant at the same time," he said. "When you learn the nuances of the nerves, you will find that the sexual release you experience is ten times better than anything you've ever felt before, but you have to be careful of your wrists no matter what. I worry that an unsub could tie you up and you wouldn't be able to be able to escape because you would be in a drop."

"Is there a way to teach me how to come out of it other than sleeping?" Rossi asked.

"Come on, let's get you out and back into bed," Reid replied. "You need to stay warm until you're back to your normal state. As far as I know, there is no way to come back out of that drop other than sleeping. Normally there is an intense sexual release which causes such a rush of pleasure and endorphins that the natural reaction is to sleep." He sat Rossi down on the toilet seat. "Let me dry you off."

"This is getting a little weird, Reid."

"Just relax and let me take care of you," Reid said. "You'll find that your headache is slowly going away and you should be able to focus a little more the more you let me take care of you. Hotch won't let us leave while the case is on-going, but once we're home again, let me take you into D.C. to speak with some of the people I've met and become friends with. I think you'll learn more from them than you will from me."

"Do you really think that it will help me?"

"I do, but you'll have to actually listen and understand that what you're talking about applies to you," Reid said. "I don't want you to get raped to get the point across to you that you need to be careful."


End file.
